These beasts were
efficient, but occasionally
somewhat temperamental.
For a variety of reasons, the
USMC decided to halt their use
after the end of major combat
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and
the decommissioned bikes were placed
in storage.
Fred Hayes originally stated that a civilian
model would be produced at some point in the
future. A write-up about the bike was included in
the March 2008 edition of Cycle World and it also
appeared in several other publications. However,
the much-anticipated civilian model didn’t follow.
Ownership of the production company changed,
there were financial issues, and the rights to the bike
were sold to Altius Motors in India.
A version of the bike known as the Scimitar did
appear at a few trade shows, but problems with
engine manufacturing developed and the bike was
never mass produced. Meanwhile, Fred Hayes and
HDT continued their work on performance diesel
engines and other projects. And, one of their machines
set a land speed record at Bonneville a few years
later. Unfortunately, the civilian application never
developed and Fred passed in July of 2018.
The decommissioned military bikes being stored
were apparently either destroyed or given to local
police departments near military bases. But as it
turned out, the police didn’t have much use for a
bike designed primarily for rugged off-road use that
accelerated just faster than a pickup truck, despite
the phenomenal fuel mileage. In addition, they
lacked a service manual.
Eventually, some of these police bikes made
their way to public auctions as did a few of the
stored military bikes. The police bikes were usually
licensed and registered vehicles, and others from
government storage were just auctioned off with
a bill of sale. Many of these units had 300 miles or
less on them.
I’ve always had a fascination with oil burners;
most of my vehicles, from my VW Rabbit in
1977 to my current Jeep Grand Cherokee, have
run on diesel. My Kawabota AWD motorcycle,
an abomination of a 2008 KLR, sports a
turbocharged Kubota D902 lawn tractor motor,
Baker transmission, and a Christini front end that
previously appeared in the January 2016 edition
of ADVMoto magazine. I also acquired a Dutch-
manufactured Track turbodiesel motorcycle
along the way, but that’s another story.
I’ve had my M1031M1 diesel KLRs both
on and off road. A few modifications and
adjustments have made it a fun bike for
day and weekend excursions off road. The huge fuel tank
gives me a 600+ mile range. But I had a custom sprocket
fabricated, changing the rear from 58 to 54 teeth and
making it more comfortable for longer hauls.
The bike still has tremendous pull through sand, mud
and loose rock. The torque appears to be more than what’s
on the spec sheet. Handling is superior to a stock gas KLR.
Acceleration is what you’d expect from a diesel thumper:
acceptable, but it won’t pull your arms out of their sockets.
While I can carry plenty of gear, the vibration of a diesel
thumper can get to you after a while. It’s also fun to watch
the reactions of others at a service station when you’re
pumping diesel fuel into the bike.
Fortunately, Rick Green, an engineer who was part of the
team at HDT, is in California and has been available to work
on the few units that are in private hands. The fuel delivery
system was still a work in progress during the production run.
These bikes occasionally surface on GovDeals.com, a
government surplus auction site. They are the ultimate
“Apocalypse” bike for the mechanically inclined. While
they haven’t gone cheap, when compared to their gas-
powered cousins, just think of the fuel savings over the
next 30 years.John Spieker is a board-certified orthopedic
surgeon and medical acupuncturist, recently
retired after 32 years of practice. He has been riding
motorcycles since he was 20 years old and has been
adventure riding for the last 15 years with instructors
(Jimmy and Heather Lewis, Jim Hyde, and Shawn Thomas)
trying to beat some technique into his stubborn bone head.
Current ownership includes four diesel bikes (the Kawabota, two
M1031M1s and a Track imported from Holland).Generation 1 bike testing
before mass production for
the military.AdventureMotorcycle.com 43